Tag Archives: Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

HiRISE: Cored island

Posted on July 16, 2018 by rburnham

Cored island. This channel may have been used by both lava and water. One of the processes produced a crater-cored island and later, the downstream side was eroded away, leaving knobs and an inverted streamlined form. Beautiful Mars series. [More … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Down in Proctor Crater

Posted on July 16, 2018 by rburnham

Down in Proctor Crater. Proctor Crater is 168 kilometers in diameter, and its massive dune field has been imaged by us for several years to track changes over time. Beautiful Mars series. [More at links]

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HiRISE: Clays in the Eridania Basin

Posted on July 13, 2018 by rburnham

This colorful image shows clays within the Eridania basin region. Many scientists using orbital data have proposed that a large lake may have once existed here during the Late Noachian through Early Hesperian time periods, and then much of the … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Lava-coated craters

Posted on July 13, 2018 by rburnham

Lava-coated craters. The larger crater looks normal–dimpled depression with a protruding rim barely covered by lava which later deflated. The smaller depression looks deeper and steeper-sided, and the rim does not protrude, so it is probably below the level of … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Jamming with the ‘spiders’ from Mars

Posted on July 12, 2018 by rburnham

During winter at the South Pole of Mars, a carbon dioxide ice cap covers the region and as the sun returns in the spring, “spiders” begin to emerge from the landscape. But these aren’t actual spiders. We call it “araneiform … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: The sand always gets through

Posted on July 12, 2018 by rburnham

The sand always gets through. There are also eroded layers here in Orson Welles Crater. Beautiful Mars series. [More at links]

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MARCI weather report, July 2-8, 2018

Posted on July 12, 2018 by rburnham

Dusty conditions continued around the red planet this past week, as the planet-encircling dust event was still ongoing. The colossal dust cloud was still prevalent between the south polar ice cap and the north polar hood. Solis-Sinai and on occasion, … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Uplifted blocks of light-toned layered deposits

Posted on July 11, 2018 by rburnham

Aram Chaos lies within a 280 kilometer-diameter ancient impact crater in the Southern Highlands of Mars. Uplifted blocks of light-toned layers, composed largely of the iron-oxide hematite and water-altered silicates, indicate that this crater once held a lake. Scientists suggest … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Fractures on Pavonis Mons

Posted on July 11, 2018 by rburnham

Fractures on Pavonis Mons. This observation was suggested by students at the Mars Academy in Brazil. Here is their original rationale: “This “stressed-out” region of the northeastern slopes of Pavonis Mons contains multiple sets of sub-parallel faults, with down-thrown blocks indicating tensional … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Cliffs and stratified features in central Arabia Terra

Posted on July 10, 2018 by rburnham

Cliffs and stratified features in central Arabia Terra. Sedimentary rock? Layered materials looked as if mantled by dust. The goal of this observation is to capture some of the variety of erosional expressions  and stratigraphy. Beautiful Mars series. [More at … Continue reading →

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